Type-writer for the blind.



No. 800,149. PATENTBD SEPT. 26, 1905.

'J. B. HAMMOND.

TYPE WRI FOR THE BLIND.

APPLIOAT ILED 00w. 21,1904.

Q I v I JAMES B. HAMMOND,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF NEW -'Y ORK, N. Y.

TYPE-WRITER FOR THE BLIND.

To all whom it may concern.- I

Be it known that I, J AMES B. HAMMOND, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, State of New York, have invented cer-' tain new and useful Improvements in Type- Writers for the Blind, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to type-writers of the general form known as the Hammond, and particularly to shuttle and hammer devices adapted to print embossed letters for the blind, and while I have shown the invention as adapted for use with the Braille system of point-writing I do not wishto limit myself in this regard, as I merely use the Braille system as an illustration of the prin ciple of my invention.

In carrying out my invention I provide the shuttle with a series of points adapted to cooperate with a hammer having pits inits face. I aim to use a limited number of points on the shuttleand to make up the letters by assembling the impressions by successive strokes of the keys. I

My invention is adapted for use in connection with a Hammond type-writer of the wellknown form, which permits the removal of the shuttle and the replacing thereof by a shuttle carrying a limited number of points,

the said machine also permitting the use ofinterchangeable hammer-faces whereby a pitted hammer-face may be substituted for a plain face and the machine thus adjusted for printing embossed letters of the point system instead of ordinary impressions, as in ordinary Writing. In the use of the machine for the Braille system it is simply necessary to place therein a shuttle carrying the points and to bring into operative'position the hammer-face carrying the pits, and then by operating a limited numberof the keys of the keyboard the point-writing can be performed. The invention consists in the features and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view in the nature of a diagram showing the shuttle carrying the points, the hammer having the pits, and showing'also the keyboard. Fig. 2 is a face view of the shuttle, and Fig. 3 a face view of the hammer. Fig. 4 represents a complete groupof points or pits of the Braille system. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are detail views of a modification.

In carrying out my present invention I aim Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October 21, 1904. Serial No. 229,445.

the machine.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

to secure a uniform impression and to form the embossed characters by means of a light stroke, and for this purpose I provide the hammer with a series of pits arranged vertically and in the central vertical plane of the machine directly at the printing-point.

' The group of points from which the characters forming the letters of the Braille system are selected isshown in Fig. 4 and consists of two vertical rows of points, three in each row and arranged side by side. Instead of forming the hammer-face with a group of pits corresponding to the group shown in Fig. 4: I use only three pits and arrange these vertically and in the central vertical plane of I use a small shuttle, carrying only seven characters, composed of single points or groups of'points, and I operate the shuttle to bring these characters to the single row of pits, a letter being formed by operating two keys in succession to bring the desired points or groups of points to a central position to cooperate with the pittedface of the hammer. The machine has uniform letter-spacing, and the spacing between the parts of the composite character isformed by the ordinary spacing mechanism. For making spaces between the letters it is simply necessary to operate the space-key.

By having the hammer provided with only three pits and forming eachcharacter by he operation of aplurality of keys, one to form the left-hand portion of the letter and the other to form the right-hand portion, I am enabled to make the impressions with a lighter stroke of the hammer than would be the case were all of the. points constituting the letter or character made at one blow of the hammer, and thus liability of punching the paper will be avoided, and, further, a more uniform impression isobtained by this arrangement than would otherwise be the case, as the printing and embossing is done on a line directly radial to the axis of the shuttle and directlyat the center of the printing plane. The shuttle shown has seven characters thereon, and

in using the machine with such a shuttle the three keys on one side of the space-key and the four keys on the other side of the spacekey are employed to operate the machine for writing Braille or the point system. With this form of machine the spaces between the words are formed by operating the space-key twice.

Instead of providing pits in the hammer and the points on the shuttle I may prefer to have the points upon the hammer and provide the pits in the shuttle, and this modification of my invention is illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, and 7.

Fig. 5 represents the hammer and shuttle with the points upon the hammer and the pits in the shuttle.

Fig. 6 represents the front or face of the hammer with the points thereon, and Fig. 7 is a similar view of the shuttle with the pits.

It will be noticed that the hammer carries a set of three points, and these cooperate with diflerents pits or groups of pits carried by the shuttle. The three pits or groups of pits on the right may be used for the New York point system, while the combination of these three pits with the four pits on the left may be used for Writing the three or six point Braille. In order to allow the three points on the hammer to cooperate withpits and groups of pits less in number than the whole number of points, I have arranged the pits elevated in respect to the main face of the shuttle, the said pits being formed in the outer faces of projection 1. The pits and points constitute embossing elements.

I claim as my invention- 1. In combination in a type-writer for the blind, a surface having embossing elements, a shuttle or carrier havinga series of seven embossing characters, said characters being composed of embossing elements or groups of embossing elements which when used singly and in combination form the letter characters, substantially as described.

2. A type-writer for the blind, comprising a surface having embossing elements and a shuttle or carrier having a less number of embossing elements than the number of letters or characters in the system, said shuttle being movable to bring the embossing elements thereon to the printing-point and form letter characters from combinations of the said limited numbers of embossing elements, said combination being made up by successive hey-actions, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a part having embossing elements, a shuttle having a less number of embossingelements and groups ol'embossing elements than the number of characters in the system, said elements and groups of elements being arranged on opposite sides of the center of the carrier, substantially as described.

4. In a type-writer for the blind, a hammer having a single row of embossing elements arranged centrally thereof, and in the radial plane of the shuttle, and a shuttle having embossing elements on opposite sides of its center to cooperate with the said single row of centrally-arranged embossing elements, substantially as described.

5. In a type-writer for the blind, a hammer having a single central row of embossing elements, a shuttle having embossingelements on opposite sides of its center to cooperate with the central embossing elements, and a space-key for forming the spaces between the letters, substantially as described.

6. A type-Writer for the blind, comprising a hammer having a group of points and a shuttle having a pit and groups of pits, said pits being located out beyond the face of the shuttle in projections formed or provided thereon, the said group of points on the hammer cooperating with either a single pit on the shuttle or a group of pits thereon, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of witnesses.

JAS. B. HAMMOND.

Witnesses:

Roscoe K. INGALLS, FANNIE FISK. 

